


The Rain is Like An Orchestra

by TobyZiegler



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn, Tommy Merlyn is Alive, Tommy Oliver Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-29
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-04-24 00:07:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4897555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TobyZiegler/pseuds/TobyZiegler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everybody watches as Oliver Queen falls in love with Felicity Smoak and Felicity Smoak tries not to let her feelings about Oliver Queen show. Silly fools that they are, Oliver and Felicity don't see what everybody else does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. As First Times Go

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all. My first Arrow fic, so please be kind. I'm a huge Tommy Merlyn fan, so I had to keep him alive here. I also love the idea of Tommy and Felicity becoming friends, so that is where this story starts. 
> 
> The title is from a Rachel Yamagata song. Reminded me of one of the first scenes between Oliver and Felicity at the diner where she meets him to give him the little book of names 
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except for the laptop I'm using to write this story and a couple of hundred books.

The first time Tommy Merlyn meets Felicity Smoak, she manages to spill a bottle of water on him, nearly break his one good leg and fix his phone, all within twenty minutes.

On Day 16 of what he’s terming his ‘Escape from Starling General’, Tommy manages to engineer a sequel, ‘Escape from Under-Laurel’s-Overprotective-Nose’. From the minute he left the hospital, any attempt by him to not be confined to bed rest earns him a long lecture from the love of his life, ending invariably with some version of the phrase, “A building fell on you, Thomas!”

Tommy’s never been a fan of his given name but it does have a certain appeal emanating from Laurel’s mouth, especially when she’s pissed at him (he doesn’t like to admit it to the lady in question, but he has a weak spot for tough/angry Laurel; turns him on like nothing else). However, since he can’t really act on any favourable feelings he might have (damned doctor’s orders) he’s been left even more frustrated than when they started the argument about him trying to get out bed by himself. A month in the hospital, another fortnight of constant arguments, the look of pure terror in her eyes every time he trips slightly or falters, the mind-numbing routines of being an invalid and caring for one and the sheer exhaustion of it all have started to wear on them both.

So when the he goes back to the hospital for his two-week check-up and the doctor gives him the all-clear to resume light activity and outdoor excursions, he’s about ready to kiss the man. It takes him another full day to convince Laurel that it’s okay for her to start going into work for at least a few hours a day (she’s been offered a job at the District Attorney’s office but has held off so far on accepting it to care for him).

The day after that, the blessed Day 16 of him having left the hospital, he decides to go into Verdant, just to see if Speedy has burnt it to the ground yet. Since the Undertaking over six weeks ago, Oliver has become CEO of Queen Consolidated full time and Thea Queen, belying everybody’s expectations, has taken up the responsibility of renovating Verdant and getting it back up and running while Tommy is out of commission.

What he expects to find are construction crews, a ton of equipment and at least a dozen sweaty men traipsing all over his club. What he finds instead is an empty space that is more or less fully finished and a tiny blonde on her hands and knees rooting through a messy knot of wires near the sound system. While he is very much in love with his girlfriend, he is still a red-blooded male in his 20s, so he’s not above admiring a shapely derriere when he’s presented directly with one. Even as he’s enjoying the view, the woman in question gets up and turns around in a swift motion. Almost immediately, he hears a shriek followed by the feeling of cold water making its way down the front of his shirt.

“Oh my god, you scared me! Haven’t you heard of knocking? Not that you could knock anywhere here. For that matter I wouldn’t hear you anyway, I was fully focused on untangling this stupid wiring. Still, it’s the principle of the matter. You should always announce yourself when you walk in on someone; I could’ve had a heart attack. I mean not really, because I’m only 24 and don’t have a history of heart disease in my family. And the whole scaring someone into having a heart attack thing is a myth anyway.... What was I talking about? Oh yes, you should walk in uninvited to places and scare nice IT technicians.”

“I could apologize,” he says, with his most charming grin, “Or I could ask you what the hell you’re doing in my club.”

Comprehension dawns on her face within seconds as she takes in his words and his many, many bandages, “Holy shit, you’re Tommy Merlyn!”

“That I am. Who might you be?”

“Oh I’m just the IT girl. Wait, you were asking for my name, right? I can never tell. Especially because people are usually super awkward around IT people and never really ask for names. They're always just anxious because they think I’m going to accidentally find all the porn on their computer. Which, by the way, why do you have porn on your work computer? How are you even watching porn in a tiny cubicle surrounded by like 25 other people?”

He interrupts before her train of thought can carry her any further down this particular track, “Yes, I did mean your name. What is it?”

“Felicity. Smoak.” She extends her hand forward and moves towards Tommy but manages to trip on some wires and nearly take him down with her. He catches her, but doing so puts undue pressure on his left leg (his right has only recently gone from a heavy plaster cast to a more manageable small boot cast). He winces when a sharp pain shoots up his leg from the action as they both straighten up.

“Oh no, are you okay? I’m so sorry! Here, let’s get a seat.” She helps him to the nearest booth and sits him down before leaning to check on the leg. “Can I get you anything? For the pain maybe? I’m really, really sorry. I’m very clumsy.”

Tommy takes a few deep breaths before giving her another smile, what he hopes is a calming one this time, “It’s okay Felicity. It’s my good leg anyway and I think it’s passed. Why don’t you sit before you fall and break both our necks this time?”

She chuckles nervously before sliding into the seat opposite him.

“So, Felicity Smoak, IT tech-extraordinaire. I take it Thea hired you to fix the systems in the club?”

“Actually I’m just doing Oliver, I mean Mr. Queen, a favour.”

“You know Oliver? I thought I knew all of Oliver’s friends.”

“No, I work at QC. I’m a systems analyst there. I’m just helping out at the club. Just taking a look at it. That’s all. No biggie.” For some reason, she appears nervous to Tommy.

“In that case, thanks. We appreciate the help.”

“You’re welcome,” she smiles at him. “Aren’t you supposed to be on bed rest? What are you going out and about, rescuing me from evil trip wires?”

He grins again, “Needed to get out of the house. I began to get seriously involved in the lives of various Real Housewives and I thought, it’s either your health or your sanity, Merlyn. Pick one. I picked sanity and here I am.”

“Oh, I know what you mean. I had chicken pox when I was 9 and I read the Lord of the Rings 4 times cover to cover, the entire C.S Lewis series and I think every single Captain America comic in my local library. It sucks to be stuck in bed all day.”

He can’t help be charmed by her rambles and laughs, “Well I do think I’ve had all the excitement I can handle for the day. I’m going to call a cab and head home.” He pulls out his phone and the stupid thing is off again.

“Seriously? Again? Who makes a phone this temperamental?”

Felicity extends her hand out to him, “Hand it over. Let me take a look.” She takes his phone and begins to dismantle it. As she works, she explains to him that this particular model has a factory defect due to a loose wire and tends to switch off frequently as a result. “All you have to do is fix that and it should work fine.”

When she hands him back his phone with a broad, sunny smile, it’s in perfect working order and he calls a cab.

She offers to help him to the door and as they wait, he tells her “You’ve been an absolute delight Ms. Smoak. Thank you.”

She lets out a laugh then, “Wow, you billionaire playboys are all absolutely terrible liars. I poured a bottle of water on you and nearly broke your leg. I think if you stick around for another ten minutes, I might accidentally set your tie on fire. It’s safe to say you barely made it out with your life.”

His cab pulls up and he gets in. As he’s waving her goodbye he says, “Well you also fixed my phone, are apparently helping out at my club and were, I repeat, delightful company. So once again, I thank you.”

***


	2. Come Out of the Shade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Oliver have lunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos! Here's the next part.

A week later, when he finally convinces Laurel to let him out of the house again (though he’s not as frustrated as he was earlier, given all the ‘light activity’ they’ve been indulging in), he decides it’s time to pay his best friend a visit.

Since the Undertaking and his father’s death, Tommy has spent more or less all his time, even from his hospital bed figuring out his father’s estate. First he gathered all the Merlyn Global and Merlyn family attorneys and gave them instructions to dissolve the company, sell off all its assets to other companies, ensure pensions and severance packages, salaries and other jobs to all employees and place all remaining capital in one single fund. He ordered the family lawyers to similarly dispose of all of his father’s personal assets and add it to the fund. Given the very public nature of his father’s crimes and the overall efficiency of the lawyers, it didn’t take very long. After that, through a press release, he informed the people of the city that the entirety of the fund would be directed by him and Laurel Lance towards various civic and government organizations to rebuild the Glades. His own personal wealth, though considerably lessened, is more or less guaranteed through his trust fund, his inheritance from his mother and maternal grandparents and the club.

In the meanwhile, his best friend has immersed himself completely in running QC (which bought a lot of what used to be Merlyn Global and acquired many of its former employees) and salvaging the company’s reputation and bottom line after the scandal of Moira Queen’s arrest. Oliver’s busy schedule added to the lingering awkwardness of his having killed Malcolm after sleeping with Laurel means that apart from a couple of phone calls every other week and visiting him in the hospital after his surgery, Tommy has barely interacted Oliver in the nearly two months since the attack.

Deciding that enough is enough, Tommy decides to drop in on Oliver. He heads to the nearest Big Belly, picks up some food and heads over the QC building.

After signing into security and heading to the top-most floor using the personal keycard Oliver had given him months ago, Tommy enters the offices of the CEO of Queen Consolidated to find the entire area empty. He mentally kicks himself for not checking with Oliver’s PA on whether he’d be available. Sighing, he decides to leave a note for his best friend and is looking for a piece of paper when the elevators ding and Oliver steps out looking less like the buddy he’s gotten drunk with on every single continent and more like the leader of a multi-billion dollar company.

“Tommy?”

“Hey man!”

“What’re you doing here? Is everything okay?”

“No, everything’s fine. I just thought it was time to come see you. And I brought lunch,” he says, holding up the bag from Big Belly Burgers.

And just like that, all the awkwardness Tommy has been experiencing seems to disappear.

Oliver grins, “You know I’ve always got time for Big Belly!”

They settle in to the couch in Oliver’s office and sit, jackets off, shirt sleeves rolled up, feet on the coffee table. Tommy takes Oliver through his recovery, how he and Laurel are doing now and how the distribution of funds to various charities within Starling is going. Oliver fills him in on what it’s like to run QC and how his mother’s case is progressing. After that, they fall into a bit of a food coma, just sitting at ease with each other and noisily slurping their Cokes like they used to when they were ten years old.

Their reverie is interrupted when they hear the sound of a pair of clicking heels and Tommy sees Felicity Smoak stride purposefully towards Oliver’s desk with a clutch of papers she’s intently reading.

“Did you go through these contracts with Wayne Industries carefully Oliver? Because I think we need to have Nancy and Eddie from Legal go through them again. I don’t there are enough provisions to ensure that the manufacturing units will be here in Starling rather than…” she trails off when she looks up and sees two handsome billionaires instead of just the one she was expecting.

“I was just going to look through those when Tommy came by and distracted me with lunch,” Oliver tells her.

“Felicity Smoak, as I live and breathe!” Tommy greets her.

“Wait, you know Felicity? How do you know Felicity?” Oliver asks, suddenly tense.

“I met her at the club last week when I dropped by to check on the progress,” Tommy tells him. By the way the tension seeps out of him, Tommy can tell that Oliver’s first instinct was to think that maybe Felicity was one of his previous conquests.

“He’s omitting the part where I threw a drink of water on him and tried to break his leg,” she tells Oliver. Tommy observes that curiously, Oliver’s lips quirk up slightly, as if he’s trying to prevent a smile from breaking out on his face.

“You went to Big Belly without me?” she asks Oliver, pointing at the bag.

“Tommy brought lunch with him. I did save you my fries, though.”

Felicity extends her both her hands and says, “Gimme!”

Tommy notices once again, that Oliver – grouchy, grumpy, broody Oliver – is almost smiling as he hands over a large packet of fries.

“Ugh, I’ve been starving and it’s so cold in the server room that it’s making me even more hungry,” she says as she turns around to leave. “Make sure you look through those contracts again. And call Legal please. Bye Tommy!” her voice trails behind her as she enters the elevators.

Tommy and Oliver are both silent for several moments after which the former ventures, “She’s….interesting.”

Another half-smile, “That she is.”

“What exactly does she do here?”

“Systems Analyst.”

“So why is she going through QC contracts and advising you on manufacturing?”

“She’s a friend, Tommy. She’s just helping out. An extra pair of eyes on these things never hurts.”

Unconvinced, Tommy presses further, “If she’s someone junior in the IT Department, how does she even have access to those types of documents? Aren’t they confidential?”

Oliver looks increasingly uncomfortable, “I gave her access Tommy. I trust her, she’s my friend. Anyway, let’s not talk about work. How are you getting along with Laurel’s dad?”

That Oliver is clearly trying to move him off this topic of Felicity is a red flag that only serves to further pique Tommy’s curiosity, but given their already somewhat tense relationship (that only now is showing signs of improvement), he allows himself to get back to more mundane things.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work is un-beta'd so please let me know if there are any errors. Cheers.  
> -TZ


	3. My Ship is Coming In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver has a night out with friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kudos and comments! Please do keep reading.

It’s another three months before Tommy even thinks about Felicity Smoak again. Tommy and Oliver have both been busy (Tommy with physiotherapy, Verdant and the Rebecca Merlyn Charitable Trust and Oliver with Queen Consolidated, his mother’s case and assorted vigilante-related activities), giving them hardly any time to meet. They’ve made sure to call and text with some frequency and even have a drink at the club on a couple of occasions but for the most part, getting their lives back on track has taken up the bulk of their energies.

At this point, Tommy and Laurel have settled into a comfortable life together, one they both think is the first step towards a permanent commitment. Laurel’s job as Starling’s newest Assistant DA is challenging and exciting for her. This adjustment period for both of them with their new jobs has unfortunately left them with little time to get out of the house and socialize as a couple. So when Tommy suggests to Laurel that they have a night out at Verdant, with Oliver and Joanna and anyone else they can think of, she agrees immediately. Tommy texts Oliver and Thea with a time and day; Laurel gets on the phone with Joanna and her college friend Casey.

Come Saturday, Laurel and Tommy head to the club to meet up with their motley crew of friends. Thea, already at the club to make sure everything will be in decent running order for the rest of the night, is waiting for them with her boyfriend Roy. Hellos and hugs are exchanged all round when Joanna and Casey, with her new boyfriend Shawn, join the group.

Thea says, “Ollie texted to say he’d be late. We should grab a booth and get some drinks.”

Tommy responds, “No drinking for you, young lady.” When Thea makes a face at him he adds, “We’ve got an officer of the law here, Speedy. Can’t have you getting soused.”

“There are cops here?”Thea asks.

Laurel pipes up, “Hello! Assistant DA here.”

“I thought officer of the law meant cops.”

“Means DA’s as well, Thea.” Laurel tells her with a smile.

“Ugh, fine! Be all proper and responsible. But please remember that I still have those pictures of you from Halloween the year you wore that slutty vampire outfit.” Thea tells as her she leads the way to their booth.

Almost an hour later, when the entire group (minus Thea and Roy) is pleasantly buzzed and several dances have been had, Oliver makes his way through the crowd towards them.

A chorus of ‘Ollie’ greets him and in short order, he’s been seated and handed a cold beer.

“Laurel, how’ve you been?” Oliver asks as he’s only seen her in passing over the past several months.

“Busy! Like crazy-busy! I’ve never had to work this many cases simultaneously. How about you? How’re things at QC?” Laurel responds.

As Oliver starts to answer, Thea interrupts, “Can you guys not be boring old people for like five minutes? Enough with the work talk!”

Tommy, Laurel and Oliver all share a smile at now being the ‘old people’ at the table.

Suddenly, Tommy catches a glimpse of a familiar figure in a fuchsia dress, glasses and her blond ponytail.

“Ollie, what’s Felicity doing here?”

Oliver follows Tommy’s sight line and frowns when he sees his employee squeezing past the crowds to get to them.

Oliver says “Felicity, is something wrong?” as he starts to slide out of the booth.

“No don’t get up! I didn’t want to interrupt you guys but you need to respond to this email immediately before the London office closes for the day,” she tells him as she hands over a tablet with a QC insignia.

As Oliver looks through the email, Thea admiringly tells Felicity, “I love your dress! That’s a great colour on you.”

Felicity instinctively looks down and brushes the front of the dress, “Oh thank you!”

Tommy waves at her, “Felicity Smoak! We meet yet again.”

Felicity laughs, “Yes and this time you’ve wisely put an entire table between us.”

At the sound of her laugh, Tommy observes that Oliver smiles slightly, almost involuntarily, without ever looking up.

As he responds to the email, Tommy and Thea introduce Felicity to the rest of the group, except for Roy who seems to know her quite well already.

Introductions complete, Laurel asks, “Do you work with Ollie at QC? Are you his assistant?”

“Yeah. Executive Assistant is the official title,” Felicity tells her.

“Wait, I thought you worked in IT?” Tommy interjects. Even as he says this, he can hear Thea wince and Roy mutter “No man, don’t bring that up”. Confused he looks at Felicity and continues, “What? What did I bring up?”

Felicity shushes Roy and Thea, “Nothing Tommy. You’ve brought up nothing. I’m completely grateful for this ‘promotion’” she air quotes “and I couldn’t be happier working as the personal assistant to the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Even though I was first in my class at MIT. And I finished college at 19. And had my Masters before I hit 21. And was the youngest IT hire in QC history. Really, it was my dream to fetch coffee and schedule meetings.”

Across from him Tommy can hear Oliver sigh loudly.

“Did you just huff at me?” Felicity asks Oliver, sounding uncharacteristically stern.

“Felicity, I wasn’t huffing at you, I was … huffing near you. I thought we’d already beaten this particular horse to death.”

“Wait! You’re telling me you’re already tired of the ‘Woe is Me, I’m Overqualified for My Job’ song after having listened to it for two months straight? No!!!” she intones dramatically.

And then shockingly to Tommy and Laurel, and possibly Thea as well, Oliver lets out a short bark of laughter, not the fake kind he’s been employing on friends and relatives alike since his return from the island, but a real, genuine, Ollie-of-old peal of a laugh.

Paying no heed to what’s happening around her, Felicity takes the tablet from Oliver, “Anyway, Oliver, don’t forget that we’re meeting with Applied Sciences at 11 tomorrow. And you have that benefit for the Glades Memorial Hospital in the evening. I’ve already had your tux cleaned and sent over to the mansion. As for tonight, please try and have some fun. Thea, you’re in charge of making sure he doesn’t leave before midnight at the earliest.”

She turns to the group to bid them goodbye when something moves Laurel to say, “Felicity, are you done with work? You should join us.”

“Oh that’s really sweet of you Laurel but I don’t want to disturb Oliver when he’s with his friends.” Felicity responds, seeming mildly surprised at even being asked.

Oliver frowns at her and says, “You wouldn’t be disturbing me, Felicity. You should stay.”

“Thanks, but there’s a pint of mint chip with my name on it and a DVR filled to the brim with Murder, She Wrote calling to me. Bye guys!”

With that, she departs. Long after she’s gone and the group has gone back to joking and drinking in between dances, Tommy glances over to see Oliver wearing the same look of discomfiture that he had when she left.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work is un-beta'd so please let me know if there are any errors. Cheers.  
> -TZ


	4. Paper Aeroplane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurel finally starts to take notice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments and kudos! This is a Laurel POV chapter.

Eventful is vastly understating the sort of month that Laurel Lance is having. It’s been nearly six weeks since her night out at Verdant with all her friends and since then, she’s had to contend with one major life event after another.

To start with, the biggest case that she’s ever been involved in – _Starling City v Moira Queen_ – came to an abrupt and somewhat anti-climactic end when, after a trial full of surprises and twists, the jury returned with a hung verdict and the DA’s office declined to re-try the case citing new evidence that exonerates Moira Queen.

Her relationship with Tommy has also taken a giant leap forward. In the past month, Laurel and Tommy have arrived at the decision to move out of Laurel’s tiny apartment and into something more spacious, and hopefully more permanent. Tommy’s intentions with Laurel are clear – marriage. Since the Undertaking, any doubts Laurel had regarding her feelings for Tommy have disappeared. With that in mind, they’ve gone from discussing it vaguely to taking practical steps. As a beginning, they’ve decided to buy a townhouse in an upscale, residential neighbourhood.

They would have already completed the paperwork and begun the process of moving into their new home had it not been for the mother of all life changes – the return of her sister Sara from the dead. Her sister’s re-emergence had thrown her life into even more chaos than Oliver’s return. Their mother also temporarily moved back to Starling, making her truly screwed up family dynamic all the more dramatic. While she’s genuinely thrilled at having her sister back, it has also brought up all of their unresolved issues. Between tears, recriminations, family dinners filled with screaming matches and group therapy, their family is slowly but surely getting back to some semblance of normalcy. Without the anchoring presence of Tommy and the promise of their future together, Laurel is certain that she could have easily been driven mad.

In all this time, she’s barely given a thought to how Oliver is doing. While she loves him and always will, he has gone from being the No. 1 priority in her life to not even cracking the top 10 on that list. Still, come Friday, six weeks after that night out at Verdant, she realizes that she hasn’t really checked in on Oliver since his mother’s case. She knows from Tommy that Oliver and Sara have been spending a lot of time together. When Tommy had told her, he had done so with considerable delicacy, imagining that she would be upset. Instead, Laurel feels only relief; she knows that Sara has come back infinitely more complicated and damaged than her family can fully grasp and knowing that Oliver, someone who has gone through the same thing as Sara, is there for her sister comes as a comfort to Laurel. Apart from this thought though, she hasn’t really worried about or checked in with Oliver.

To make up for this oversight she takes a personal day (in order to make it a 3-day weekend) and wheedles Tommy into doing the same. Around lunch time, as they’re lounging lazily in bed wondering whether to order in and take the effort to get dressed up, she says, “Let’s go out Tommy. And grab Ollie and make him come to lunch with us. It’s been too long.”

Tommy instantly warms to the idea and soon she finds herself riding the elevator in the QC building all the way to the top floor. When they get out, the sight that greets them intrigues Laurel.

The assistant’s desk is empty as Felicity is inside Oliver’s office. Through the glass doors, they can see that Oliver is in his chair which has been turned away from the doors and towards the massive windows. He’s leaning back in his chair, clearly relaxed, with his jacket off, sleeves rolled up and tie loosened. He’s paying close attention to Felicity who is talking while pacing, gesticulating wildly. Oliver nods in agreement in a couple of places and seems to be wearing a permanent half-smile throughout the conversation but apart from that is silent, allowing the conversation to be one-sided.

Really, what makes Laurel (and Tommy, she suspects) pause is the look on Oliver’s face. There’s a lightness in his expression, his posture, his easy open smile, that she hasn’t seen in a long time. People tend to think that there’s pre-island Ollie and post-island Oliver, when in fact, there was a pre-pre-island Ollie as well; a version of him before the boozing, the desperate misbehaviour, the cheating and the paparazzi-baiting, when he was a sweet, confident and charming boy who always had a ready smile for his friends and loved his baby sister to the ends of the earth. That version of Ollie, Laurel hasn’t seen him for well over a decade.

Felicity moves close to Oliver’s side to show him something on her tablet. She stands to his right and leans in order to bring the tablet close enough to Oliver, whose hand automatically moves up to hold her waist lightly in support. Felicity is intent on what she’s explaining off the tablet whereas Oliver is looking directly at her face rather than the tablet.

Suddenly, as if they can sense them, Oliver and Felicity both look up to see Tommy and Laurel. Laurel feels slightly foolish at having gotten caught staring and waves and smiles broadly to overcompensate. She’s fairly certain she looks like an idiot but moves forward any way with Tommy following closely behind. 

“I know, I know! I keep showing up at your job uninvited. It’s like I’m obsessed with you,” Tommy jokes.

“Like Gigi Briatore in college,” Oliver responds.

“To be fair, good old Gigi was obsessed with me, not you.”

“She kept turning up in _my_ dorm room””

Tommy shrugs, “Only because she _knew_ I’d be there!”

Oliver, Laurel and Felicity all laugh at this. Oliver gets out of his chair to step forward and greet his friends but because he has yet to let go of Felicity’s waist, his actions have the unintentional effect of pulling her along. It’s only after he shakes Tommy’s hand and moves to hug him that he finally releases Felicity.

“Not that I’m not happy to see you guys, but what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Oliver asks as he kisses Laurel’s cheek.

“I’ve been working so hard these past few months that I decided to play hooky and start the weekend early. And then I forced Tommy into doing the same,” Laurel says with a smile. Oliver is struck by how young and bright she looks; a stark difference from how she was when he first came back from the island.

“Hey, I was all for being an upstanding citizen who reports to work on time but how can anyone say to no to this face,” Tommy says as he lifts Laurel’s hand he’s been holding and kisses the back of it.

“Oh you guys are too cute!” Felicity exclaims. “How about I call Table Salt and see if they can’t fit you three in?”

As Felicity heads towards the phone, Laurel stops her, “How about you call Table Salt and see if they can’t all four of us in?”

Felicity stops in her tracks, “You want me to come to lunch?”

Laurel assures her, “Of course! It’ll be fun.”

Felicity looks to Oliver and they have a brief silent conversation before she gets on the phone. Oliver, meanwhile, gathers both their jackets while making small talk with Tommy. When Felicity is done making the reservations, Oliver helps her into her jacket and gently pulls out her ponytail from the collar. Felicity turns around afterwards and adjusts Oliver’s tie and brushes off invisible lint from his jacket. The whole process takes just a few seconds but both Tommy and Laurel notice the ease and familiarity between them and how comfortable Oliver seems to be.

They all get into the elevators while Felicity gets on the phone to readjust Oliver’s schedule for the next few hours.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work is un-beta'd so please let me know if there are any errors. Cheers.  
> -TZ


	5. What Is and What Should Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lunch is had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay but life has been super messy and busy and full and all sorts of other things. Here's the next chapter!

 

At lunch, Laurel pays special attention to Felicity. She’s intrigued by this girl whose existence she was unaware of until just a few weeks ago, who seems to have brought some measure of light into Oliver’s tortured inner life. Since his return from the island, Laurel has barely seen him laugh. Even in situations where he was projecting ease and light-heartedness, Laurel had noticed how tightly wound he was, how much iron will he was exerting over his reactions and his body. The thoughtless, careless boy of old was gone and had been replaced by a man who seemed incapable of spontaneity and who maintained rigid control over every aspect of his being. And yet, here is this young woman (Felicity was at least 4-5 years younger than Ollie, Tommy and herself) who has appeared out of nowhere. Around her, Oliver seems younger.

When they get to Table Salt, paparazzi grab a few quick photos of Oliver and Tommy. Being a high-end restaurant that attracts a host of celebrity clients on a daily basis, there are always photographers outside Table Salt. When they get in, Felicity in her efficient manner has them all seated within minutes.

When the waiter comes over to take their drink orders, Oliver orders two glasses of rather expensive Cabernet Sauvignon from a famous Napa Valley vineyard for himself and Felicity. Laurel and Tommy exchange a look as this elicits a gleeful clap from Felicity. They notice that Felicity orders for both of them but that it’s Oliver who insists to the waiter that neither of their food have any peanuts or peanut oil in them because Felicity is allergic. When the food does arrive, Felicity and Oliver go through a little ritual where she takes all the potatoes from his plate and gives him all the greens on hers. Oliver then returns some of the greens to her plate with a “you need the iron” at her moue of protest.

Watching them, Laurel thinks that if she didn’t know any better, she would swear that the two of them were in a relationship. But because she does know better, she can see the little hints that tell her that they aren’t. For one, Felicity hilariously goes on an extended ramble involving the phrases, “No, God no!”, “Not that he’s not like super hot but no, no. Absolutely not.” and “Even if I weren’t just his Executive Assistant and was actually his wife, why would you automatically assume that I would take his name?” when the maitre’d accidentally refers to her as Mrs. Queen. For another, Oliver’s expression when he looks at her isn’t just fondness, bordering on love, but also longing.

Felicity on the other hand, Laurel notices, pays close attention to him. Unlike a lot of people in his life, Felicity looks at Oliver as though she completely trusts him. She also teases him and doesn’t allow him to take himself too seriously. There’s something about her general disposition that invites even strangers into her orbit, Laurel observes. Tommy had told her about his meetings with Felicity and his belief that their friend might be harbouring a not-so-secret crush on her but interacting with Felicity up close she fully understands why Oliver might feel that way. Felicity is airy but not lacking in substance, cheerful and optimistic without being frivolous or silly and most of all, she’s a source of shining light in Oliver’s otherwise murky world.

When they leave lunch after bidding goodbye to Oliver and Felicity, Laurel turns to Tommy and says, “He’s in love with her. I don’t think he even realizes how deep he is.”

Tommy responds, “Well it wouldn’t be Oliver if he didn’t have some drama and self-sabotage to go along with his romantic relationships.”

Laurel punches his arm lightly and says, “Well. I like her. I hope he keeps it together this time.”

***


	6. It's the Beat that My Heart Skips When I'm With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Day in the Life of Thea Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the response to the last chapter!

Thea Queen is having the sort of morning that would make lesser mortals throw themselves off the highest building they can find. Thea, however, is a Queen. Still, even she has to admit that it’s been challenging to say the least.

Her day has been one disaster after another, starting with yet another fight with her mother (with whom she’s still on poor terms), being stiffed by her delivery guy for two cases of Cristal and having two of her best bartenders call in sick. She’s managed the bartender situation by begging Sara to fill in and yelled at her liquor vendor until he apologized for his delivery guy and promised to have her two missing cases (as well as another free one for her trouble) sent over by lunch. The situation with her mother, well, she’s choosing to leave that be for now.

All this drama and it’s only 3 in the afternoon. Given that she doesn’t have to start prepping at Verdant until 6, she decides to drop in on Ollie at the office to see if he’d like to grab a cup of coffee. She’s gotten much closer to her brother in the past few months, a by-product of their mother’s incarceration and trial. While the whole melee has further strained an already fragile relationship with Moira, it has served to unite Oliver and Thea and also given them a reason to spend of a lot of time together. Thea is no fool; she knows that Oliver is keeping something fairly monumental from her but in all other respects, their bond has strengthened. For one thing, they actually spend a lot more time together – whether it’s having a quick dinner, consulting with lawyers, going on runs or discussing business at Verdant, she now sees a lot more of her brother. For another, Oliver is now quite open with her about some aspects of his life. He freely tells her about the challenges of instant CEO-dom. He asks for her opinions on some facets of the business. He insists that she attend shareholders’ and board meetings. He has even, on some occasions, vaguely discussed his time on the island.

Thea can’t help but think that her brother’s change in demeanour has been brought on by more than just taking up responsibility at Queen Consolidated and the pressure of their mother’s very public trial. In fact, she’s fairly confident that a certain sunshine-y blonde may have something to do with it. While Thea and Felicity aren’t close, or even friends, they have met several times. Most of the time, Felicity keeps her company at the office for a couple of minutes while Oliver finishes up whatever he’s working on. Other times, Felicity makes sure Oliver spends time with Thea by arranging lunches and dinners for them both. On a couple of occasions, Felicity has even joined them briefly for lunch or dinner due to needing Oliver’s input on some urgent work-thing. Unfortunately, Thea feels, she has yet to spend any real time with Felicity. She’d love to get to know this person who seems to light up every room she enters, who brings a smile to her brother’s face constantly, who fights and argues with him without care but also pampers him by making sure he relaxes and rests, who Roy seems to trust and like implicitly (especially as Roy distrusts and dislikes almost everyone else in the world) and who seems to inspire such blind loyalty from a person like John Diggle.

When she gets to QC, she’s informed that she’s just missed her brother, who has stepped out with Felicity and John. She gets on the phone with Oliver and finds out that they are just around the corner at the local coffee shop. She expects to find the three of them seated in a corner table as Felicity makes happy noises about the coffee (seriously, that girl is all about the java) as Oliver looks on fondly and John looks mildly exasperated. Instead, when she gets there, she finds the three of them in the midst of what is obviously a very important and urgent confab. They’re huddled close together, speaking over each other in the way that close, long-time friends often do. Whatever they are discussing is clearly rather serious. As they speak, Felicity types away speedily on her tablet while John in simultaneously on the phone with someone else. Before she can get over to them, they exit their booth and walk towards her.

“Thea!” Oliver exclaims when he nearly runs into her. “I’m sorry, I know I said we’d have coffee but...”

“Something’s come up,” Thea finishes his sentence for him; this is not the first time Ollie and company have had to rush out suddenly in the midst of plans. She suspects it has something to do with the ‘monumental’ thing he’s keeping from her but she finds that it doesn’t bother her as much as it used to.

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise! Maybe lunch tomorrow?”

“Sure, but I think you should get going because Felicity and Digg are already outside and they look pretty anxious,” Thea points out.

“Right. Okay. Sorry. Bye!” He quickly kisses her cheek and rushes out to join Digg, who’s still on the phone and appears to be barking instructions into it and Felicity, who keeps looking up from her tablet to see if Oliver’s joined them yet.

Thea sees that the three have a quick word before Digg takes the car from the valet. Before he gets in the car, Oliver leans close to Felicity who looks up at him, her tablet still in hand. Whatever he says has her frowning and as Oliver turns to go towards the car, she grabs hold of his wrist and says something forceful to him. Oliver stops, his chin dropping to his chest, which Thea reads as a classic Oliver-guilty-face. Before he can say anything, however, Felicity tugs hard on his wrist that she’s still holding and tells him something that has Oliver looking up at her like the very sun shines out of her face. Thea is actually a little taken aback by the intensity in the way Oliver is looking at Felicity, as if she’s just given him a reason to live. Oliver nods and quickly jumps in the car that speeds off. Felicity meanwhile rushes back towards the QC building, talking on her earpiece the entire time.

As Thea has her coffee in a quiet booth at the corner of the cafe (regardless of the presence of company or the lack thereof, she needs a break), she contemplates the curious lives of the Queens. Just a few months ago, if her brother had run out on her like he did today, she would’ve thrown the mother of all fits and been angry at him for weeks for treating her the way he did. Now, though, her brother is much better at being there for her, leading her not to mind so much when he has things that come up that need attention more than her. More importantly, in her mind at least, she herself has become a different person. She feels more secure in the love her brother feels for her. Her life is now so full, between work, Roy, her family and QC business, that she doesn’t have time to be upset by small things that in the grander scheme of things don’t really matter – like her brother skipping out on one coffee date when he makes time for her in a hundred other ways.

It’s this same adult perspective that also allows her to see how good Felicity is her for her brother. When he’d first come back from the island, Thea had been desperate for Oliver to get back together with Laurel. She’d hoped that with that, she would somehow be able to go back to a time before her life fell apart so spectacularly. That’s a child’s reaction, Thea thinks now, to want the world to stay the same. As a mature young woman, she can see change can actually be good, that evolution is inevitable and if you let it, what comes next can actually be a far more wonderful thing that what was. In more ways than one, according to Thea, Felicity Smoak represents the future.

***


	7. Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Honey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An argument in front of everybody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for sticking with this story, for your comments, kudos and encouragement. I've been out of commission for almost 6 months now due to an injury so I'm super sorry for the late update but here finally is the next chapter. 
> 
> Thank you!

It’s the sort of lazy Saturday morning that none of them have seen in a long time. By some unspoken agreement, Tommy and Laurel find their way to the Queen mansion where Thea and Roy are lounging around in the kitchen-cum-dining area, bleary-eyed after a long night at Verdant. It’s a rare occurrence that none of them really has anywhere to be in a hurry and they’d all like to take advantage of the situation by doing...absolutely nothing. It feels like heaven to all of them that the entirety of their plans extends to seeing what Raisa has left in the fridge for them to eat. 

The foursome is sitting around the kitchen island, making insipid small talk when Oliver and Felicity walk into the room, clearly in the midst of a lively argument. They pause a few feet from the table and talk face to face.

“...that’s not even the point, Felicity. You don’t need to even go that far to see why this is a terrible idea.”

“How is this different from last week Oliver? Exact same circumstances...”

“These are not the exact same circumstances!! They’re so wildly different that it’s actually shocking to me that you don’t see it.”

With that Felicity turns sharply on her heel and proceeds to walk away from Oliver, past the table and towards the kitchenette.

“Where are you going? We’re not done with this,” Oliver demands.

“Oh we most certainly are, pal. At least for now. I can’t talk to you when you’re like this,” Felicity exclaims throwing her hands up as she continues to storm off.

“Like what?”

“Pig-headed. Stubborn. Impervious to reason!” she says as she turns around to face him.

“Protective. Abundantly cautious. Sensible,” he counters as he walks towards her.

“Oh my god, why are you being impossible about this?”

“Why are you acting as if wanting to keep you safe makes me a crazy person?”

“Keep me safe from what, Oliver? Some vague and generic threat??!! Outside of your mother, Walter and yourself, I am the most recognizable member of QC in the press. These sorts of emails were bound to start coming in. You had to know that. We can’t press pause every time some nut job with too much time and too little interaction with the outside world decides to type some nonsense in his mother’s basement.” Felicity states, clearly frustrated.

“Wait, someone threatened Felicity? Who?” Laurel asks.

“Nobody” Felicity says at the same time as Oliver says, “I’m looking into it.”

“Felicity, you should take this stuff seriously. Trust me. We deal with so many stalking cases at the DA’s, I can’t tell you. These guys tend to escalate really quickly.” Laurel says.

“Thank you Laurel!” Oliver says pointedly before turning back to Felicity. “Please, at least listen to the professional if you won’t take me seriously.”

“Exactly when do you propose this bodyguard will need to guard my body??!!” Felicity yells. “I’m with you all the live-long day. I mean I literally spend every waking second with two hulking slabs of muscle who glare at anyone who so much as looks at me funny. I’m with you and Digg all day and all night. When am I left unprotected?? You want someone to watch me while I sleep??”

Oliver seizes on that, “Yes!”

“Oliver, no!” Felicity responds, realizing that she’s inadvertently given him fuel for his quest. “I was being sarcastic.”

“But you’ve brought up a hole in your claim that you’re protected all day.”

“You’re making no sense Oliver. A bodyguard is almost redundant. When I’m at QC, I’m in one of the most secure buildings in Starling. And I’m always surrounded. I’m with you from 7 in the morning till 2 AM most nights.”

“Yes, but I’m not with you when you sleep!”Oliver blurts out.

That finally seems to shut Felicity up as she looks utterly startled. Laurel and Roy too look stunned but Thea and Tommy seem to be smirking at Oliver’s Freudian slip.

Felicity seems to notice that Oliver seems discomfited at having perhaps said more than he intended. Partially in an effort to mollify him and partially to lighten the mood she says, “Hey, I’m the one who makes the verbal gaffes around here! Don’t go stealing my thing.”

Oliver lets out a short, humourless laugh. He then rubs his eyes and forehead with his palm and it’s evident that this whole scenario has him worried beyond reason.

“I just...” Oliver trails off. “I just need you to be safe, Felicity,” he says in a softer tone.

With that, the fight seems to leave Oliver’s body. Noticing this, Felicity steps right up to him, grabs the front of his shirt in her fist and tugs slightly, meeting his eyes. “Oy! No guilt. Not about this okay? It’s going to be alright. You, me, Digg, we’ll figure something out. We always have.”

She lets go as he says, “Well you could just move in here with us. The mansion is easily the safest private home in Starling City.”

“Right,” she scoffs. “Because that’ll go over so well!”

“What’s wrong with this idea now? I was being serious,” Oliver huffs.

“Your mother and me, under the same roof. What on earth could go wrong there, Oliver?” Felicity mocks as she heads back towards the exit.

Instinctively, Oliver follows her, his hand on the small of her back, “It won’t be so bad. And I can keep an eye on you at...” his sound of their voices tapers off as they leave the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work is un-beta'd so please let me know if there are any errors. Cheers.  
> -TZ

**Author's Note:**

> This work is un-beta'd so please let me know if there are any errors. Cheers.  
> -TZ


End file.
